


Ghost Are Not Real (But Monsters Sure Are)

by AnonymouslyDead



Category: Gotham - Fandom
Genre: Blood, Ed is very concerned, Freak Family - Freeform, M/M, Takes place when ed is free of the ice, Vampire!Oswald, and nygmobblepot made up
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-09
Updated: 2017-07-13
Packaged: 2018-11-11 13:08:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,743
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11149071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymouslyDead/pseuds/AnonymouslyDead
Summary: Oswald gets bit by a vampire and proceeds to ignore all the signs.





	1. Chapter 1

Edward rushed into the cluttered warehouse, not surprised to find a mess of mutilated bodies strewn across crates. What he was focused on was the man sitting on the blood stained floor. He ran to the man's side followed by half a dozen armed men that fanned out to search deeper in the room.

"Oswald." Edward gasped. He fell to his knees and pulled the man into his arms. 

"Ed?" The confusion in his voice was prominent. Oswald pushed Edward away but kept ahold of his shoulders. He turned his head, eyes darting around the room. 

"What happened to you? You've been gone for three days! Are you alright?" Edward practically shouted. He cupped Oswald's face to get Oswald to look at him. 

"Did you find anyone else?" 

"No, why?" Gunfire sounded behind them. Oswald jumped. 

"What's going on?" Edward yelled. There was shouting and then gurgling followed by a heavy thud.

"Why won't he die?" Someone screamed. There was the rapid scuffling sound of footsteps echoing across the warehouse. 

"Aim, you idiot!" Someone else screamed. The men rushed back, chasing a new man. Edward's men fired at the fleeing man. The pale man spasmed as if he was hit, but he managed to stay on his feet long enough to run out the door. Edward's men quickly followed. 

Edward growled. "Those morons let him get away." He stood up, ready to charge after the man himself, but Oswald grabbed his arm. Oswald pulled himself to his feet, using Edward as support. 

"Can we just go home?" Oswald asks wearily. Edward quickly moved Oswald's arm to support him better. Now that he was standing, Edward could see how much Oswald was a mess. Oswald's suit was disheveled. His tie was missing. His jacket and shirt were half off of him, hanging off of one of his arms. His white shirt had once been splattered with blood, now long dried into a maroon color. 

"Are you alright? Did he hurt you? I swear I'll slaughtered him-" 

"I'm fine!" Oswald interrupted. Edward didn't look convinced, so he added, "You can see for yourself later. Just take me home please." 

Edward was growing worried at Oswald's behavior, but he figured that his concern could wait, seeing as Oswald seemed to be fine. Edward dragged Oswald out of the warehouse into the night.

*********************

After they made it back home , Edward wasted no time in dragging Oswald to their room despite Oswald's protests that he was fine. Edward allowed Oswald enough time to shuck of his jacket and shirt before thoroughly examining Oswald for any wounds Edward found a few old scars and blood stains, nothing he hadn't seen before, except- 

"You have a bite mark here." Edward pointed at the side of Oswald's neck where deep imprints of molars and canines resided. Edward brushed his hand against the imprint. Edward was shocked at how cold his skin felt. Edward pressed his hand to Oswald's forehead only to find the same results. 

"What? Now, you're worried I have a fever?" Oswald snarked. Oswald quickly regretted opening his mouth when Edward gave him a hurt look. Guilt welled up in Oswald. He pulled the blanket off of the bed and wrapped it around himself, satisfying Edward's concern. 

"What happened?" Ed asked. 

"I don't know? All I remember is that man appeared, my men were screaming, and then, there was a pain in my neck. Then, everyone is dead ." 

Edward nodded, face tight in thought. "It sounds like he might have drugged you. I don't why you have a bite mark, but that explains why you're so cold. You should be fine." Edward sighed, rubbing his face. It was then that Oswald noticed the bags under Edward's eyes. He felt worse. 

Oswald gently pushed Edward towards the bed. "I think you need to sleep." Edward made a noise in protest but obeyed anyway, making himself comfortable despite his day clothes. Oswald Pulled the blanket off of his shoulders and threw it over Edward. Oswald turned to leave. 

"Where are you going?" Edward asked wearily. He gestured to the empty space on the bed. 

"I'm splattered in blood." Oswald deadpanned. 

"I don't care." Edward whined. Oswald laughed. 

"Just let me get clean." Oswald left before he could be persuaded by Edward's cute pouting face. 

In the bathroom, Oswald scrubbed the dried blood off of his skin, surprised to find no apparent source for it. The blood must've been someone else's. 

Once his skin was clear of blood, he ran a hand of his neck, aiming for the bite mark that Edward had pointed out only to feel nothing. He tried the other side of his neck. Still nothing. That was strange. 

Shrugging, Oswald returned to his room, finding Edward fighting to keep his eyes open. Oswald laughed. He turned out the lights and joined Edward in bed. Oswald was greeted by a boop to the nose. Oswald responded by seeking out Edward's face and planting a kiss on his lips. 

"Real enough for you?" Oswald asked. Edward laughed, reaching out to trace Oswald's jaw. 

"I was worried." 

"I can see that." 

"I'll find the man left you drugged in a warehouse. They'll pay." Edward sighed. "I'll slit his throat." 

"That's it?" Oswald teased. "I think you're losing your touch." 

"After I break his hands and feet...Not to mention severing all of his fingers and toes." 

"That'll make him fear the Riddler." Oswald said sarcastically. 

"I'm sure he has a deep seated phobia of penguins." Oswald shoved a snickering Edward. 

"I'm glad you're safe though." 

"I'm glad you came find me." 

"Anything for you." 


	2. Chapter 2

Oswald was rudely awoken by a scratching sound. Oswald groaned, shoving his face into his pillow. The scratching continued, getting more persistence the more he ignored it. At his side, Edward stirred, rolling over and then going still again. After another minute of the noise, Oswald angrily threw back the sheets and marched to the window.

He flinched at the bright light streaming in from the window. He shielded his face in his arm and blindly opened the window, intending to scare off the source of the noise. Instead, it soared past him, narrowly avoiding a collision with his head. Instead, landing with a flutter on his dresser across the room. 

Dark eyes stared at him. The source of the noise, an owl apparently, tilted his head at him before pecking at the dresser, leaving lighter nicks in the dark wood. 

"Hey, stop that!" Oswald snapped. The owl stopped surprisingly. 

"...Get off of there." The owl obeyed, jumping off the dresser to glide to the floor at his feet. The owl stared up at him as if waiting for his next order. Oswald leaned down with his arm out. The owl seemed to know what he wanted, perching on his arm with a little flap. 

"Oswald?" Edward slowly sat up in bed, the clothes he wore yesterday a horrid mess of wrinkles. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, frowning. Who are you talking to?" 

"This owl listens to me."

"I'll be sure to do that more often." Edward said drily. Oswald frowned. 

"Speak." Oswald commanded. The owl let out a jarring cry. The result was priceless. Edward started, eyes widening at the sight of Oswald. 

"Holy shit, you actually have an owl." 

Oswald rolled his eyes. Edward stumbled out of bed to get closer. The bird cried threateningly, flaring it's wings. Edward halted. 

"Stop that." Oswald scolded. The bird immediately went silence and retracted its wings. Edward's eyebrows furrowed. 

"It seems to be tame. It might belong to someone." Edward stated. In response, Oswald slowly moved towards the window, careful not to jostle the bird.

"Go home." The bird jumped off of his arm and out the the window, flying away from the house. With that finished, Oswald moved to the closet to started getting dressed. 

He heard Edward moving behind him. When he looked, Edward had his favorite emerald green sweater on. 

"Are you alright?" Oswald asked. 

"Why do you ask?" Edward said with a yawn. Oswald gestured to his clothes. Edward had pull on his sweater over the clothes he was wearing. Oswald could see the metallic ends of Edward's jacket and his tie poking out from under the wool garment. Edward blinked. 

"I think you need to go back to sleep." Oswald gently pushed Edward back toward the bed and then turned back to his closet. He gathered his clothes and began walking to the bathroom. 

"What about you?" Edward asked. He sat on the bed, watching him. 

"I slept enough for a week. I'm going check on the Iceberg Lounge." 

"I'll come with you." Edward said, quickly hopping up. 

"Can you tell me honestly that last night wasn't the first time you slept in the three days?" 

"..." 

"Go to bed, Ed." 

"But-" 

Oswald left, not bothering to listen. He made himself presentable and left the bathroom, shocked to find Edward standing there on the phone. He was about to snap at him, but Edward stopped him. 

"I called you a ride. Please be safe." 

Oswald snorted. "It's Gotham. When is anyone safe?" When Edward didn't laugh, Oswald sighed. "I'll try."

"Good." Edward planted a kiss on his forehead. "Now, what gives a man three legs at the end of days?" Oswald stared blankly at him. 

Edward present him with his cane. "You forgot this. Who needs sleep now?" With that, Edward spun around and proceeded to bump into the wall. 

"Still you." Oswald said. He made his way to the front door to wait. After a few minutes, a bright taxi pulled up. 

He stepped out of his house and then stumbled back, hissing. An excruciating burning sensation shocked him as soon as sunlight touched him. Both his eyes and skin felt like they had suddenly been set on fire. 

He scrambled back into his house. He took a few seconds to recover from the pain before glaring out the window. The taxi driver honked his horn a few times. 

Oswald grabbed an umbrella from the stand next to the door. Popping it open, he balanced it in one hand while using his cane in the other. Gotham's weather was fucking ridiculous. Last time he was out, it was freezing with endless grey clouds stretching across the sky. Now, it was hot enough to spontaneously catch fire. Oswald rolled his eyes, dismissing it as another reason the city was such a miserable place. 


	4. Chapter 4

"What are you looking at?" Oswald snapped. The driver finally  
stopped throwing glancing at him. Instead, the drivers gained a fascination with the rearview mirror. Oswald made a point of glaring. The driver grew visibly nervous as he adjusted the mirror.

Finally, the cab pulled to a stop. Oswald stepped out. He sent a final glare at the driver, finally able to get a good look at the man. The balding old driver made a cross gesture, muttering prayers. Once the man realized he was being watch, he prayed louder, repeating the gesture at Oswald. 

"What the hell-" 

"Get back, you unholy beast!" He cried. 

Oswald's face screwed up in disgust. "I bet you haven't even been to church in years!" 

The man gasped. "This soulless wretch is omnipotent! Lord, protect me!"

Oswald had enough of this. He stalked closer to the man who made the smart choose of driving away. Oswald cursed, mentally swearing to hunt him down later. 

Sighing, he turned to enter his club. He managed to put his umbrella down before he was nearly knocked off his feet. The sudden weight was quickly ripped off of him, allowing him to stay standing. 

"Glad to see you're not dead." Bridget struggled to say as she held back an confused Ivy. 

"You're as cold as Victor." Ivy said. 

"So I've been told." 

"And almost as pale as him, too." 

"Now, you're pushing it." Oswald walked passed the two and nearly fell over again, this time due to a large pot existing in the middle of the floor where he was pretty sure there wasn't before. He looked around. Pots of various sizes speckled the room, lining the tables, chairs, and available floor space. Each had some weird plant or flower growing out of them. 

Ivy laughed nervously. "I didn't know what we'd need in case of the worst-"

Oswald waved her off, letting out a rough sigh. "I get it Just...get all of this out of here soon." 

"Right, because that's totally all there is..." Ivy said suspiciously. Bridget sent her a glare. Ivy made a face before fleeing. 

Oswald was about to question it when Bridget made him stop and follow her. The deeper Oswald went into his club, the more of a mess the place appeared. All the furniture was pushed to a center point, forming a narrow track around the room. Along this track, shards of glass or porcelain littered the floor. A large rolling cork board covered in a thick web of red yarn held by pins stood against the back wall while the opposing walls were lined with mirrors in conditions varying from barely hanging on to its nail to melting down the wall. 

"What the hell happened?" Oswald asked in disbelief. He could feel a headache coming on from growing stress. 

"It was wild." Bridget said, shaking her head. "Nygma charged in, panicking, and then, he worked Ivy into a frenzy, too. Nygma started talking like a conspiracy theorist while Ivy..." She waved at all the plants. "Victor left for a while, and that made things worse." 

"Hey!" Victor sat up on a couch behind a large table. "You'd be late too if a delusional cultist tried to recruit you, too!" Victor blinked, seeming to just notice Oswald's presence. His eyes widened for a moment. He recovered quickly though, giving a little wave before disappearing again. 

"And what did you do?" Oswald asked Bridget, dreading the answer. 

"She melted your chairs!" Victor shouted. 

"Shut up, Ice pop!" 

"She made little sculptures." He raised a lumpy, misshapen hunk of metal. "I particularly like this one. Is it a bunny?"

"I said shut up!" 

Oswald groaned. rubbing his temples. His head throbbed from Bridget and Victor's childish arguing. He should've just stayed home with Edward. 

Oswald turned to leave when he almost fell over for the third time today. This time, he almost slipped on a broken mirror. Once he regained his balance, he picked up the beautiful copper frame. He was met with the dark backing of the frame, the mirror's reflective surface long destroyed. 

Growling, Oswald haphazardly threw the frame over his shoulder, silencing Bridget and Victor. Oswald silently stomped out of the wrecked nightclub, making sure to grab his umbrella on the way out. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it's short I'm tired but I'm trying 
> 
> Also I noticed a plot hole with mirrors in the first chapter but I think I fixed it


	5. Chapter 5

Oswald slowly walked down the busy sidewalk, trying to will away his throbbing headache. He mindlessly followed the flow of foot traffic across a few streets. He didn't care where he went so long as it was away from his lounge.

He turned down a quieter residential street, his fellow pedestrians choosing to head towards Gotham's shopping district. His footsteps and the thuds of his cane seemed amplified as he walked on, lost in thought. 

A strange scuttling sound behind him broke his train of thought, however. He stopped, and the sound stopped, replaced by a growl. 

Oswald twirled around in time to not have his leg bitten. A large mass of dirty matted fur took a second to comprehend why its teeth were not sunken into his calf before glaring at him. Oswald tentatively took a step back only to cause the dog to bark. 

Oswald bolted. He could hear the dog bounded after him, claws frantically scraping the sidewalk after him. He made it to the end of the sidewalk. A car zoomed by, startling him enough to momentarily halt his escape. The dog let out steady streak of barking as it caught up. 

Oswald quickly ran across the street once the car was gone. However, the dog had gotten close. Once he had made it to the opposite sidewalk, the dog snapped at his heels, forcing him down a nearby dark alleyway. 

"Magnus, heel!" A raspy voice called, and dog immediately skid to a stop. It sat in the middle of the alley, panting without any trace of malice gone. 

Hands grasped Oswald's shoulders. He jammed his elbow into the mystery person's stomach, forcing them to stagger back. Oswald whirled around, bringing his umbrella into whoever decided to grab him's face. 

The man's head was forced back. His wide brimmed hat fell off of his head while the glasses were knocked off. The man was shorter than Oswald and thinner, too. He had a rat like face complete with a twitching nose and pointed ears. Familiar piercing yellowed eyes darted around the alley. Why they were familiar was a mystery; all Oswald could think of was a vague feeling of dread associated with a forgotten nightmare. 

"Oh dear." The man pouted, blowing a strand of whitish blond hair out of his face. "I'm afraid you don't remember me, do you? Probably for the best." 

"Who are you?" The man let out a sickening chuckle, lips curling to reveal his near immaculate wolf like teeth stained a permanent maroon. The image of those teeth tearing his flesh sent a new sense of daunting horror through Oswald. The man laughed harder.

Fear quickly turned to disgust and rage. Oswald took the man's neck into his hands with ease. 

"You are violent. Great! You'd make a great addition to our group!" The man croaked, though he showed no other indication of being affected even as Oswald's fingers tightened.

"Why would I want to work for a cannibal like you?" Oswald sneered, pressing more into his neck. A normal person getting strangled would be changing colors at this point of asphyxiation, yet the man's skin stayed the same pasty white shade. 

The man had the gall to laugh, though it sounded more like choking. "You're clueless." 

Oswald responded by digging his fingers deeper into his neck, ripping dents made by his fingernails into wider holes. "Start talking, then." 

"Doesn't matter. You seem uncooperative now, but every man has pressure points. Maybe, certain people you would rather stayed alive." 

Ice shot through Oswald's veins. He dug his fingers deeper into the neck. "If you dare-"

"I think you'll find I'm pretty persuasive." The man could barely whisper at this point. He winked before his weight disappeared from hands in smoke. Oswald blinked. He found no sign of the man around him. 

Oswald let out a shuttering sigh. He retrieved his cane and umbrella where he dropped it with some difficulty; his hands were shaking from exertion. 

He took one last look around the alley before absconding to the nearest phone booth. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may be asking why the heck I haven't updated this fic in a while well I took a break from trying to writing due to stress hopefully I'll get back to it 
> 
> Let me know if something seems off here


	6. Chapter 6

Oswald decided to brave another taxi in order to abscond. He sat through the ride home, his nerves shot. It felt like he would turn around, and the rat faced man would appear again in a puff of smoke with his horrid dog.

The rat-faced man's words kept coming to mind, serving to only worsen his worries. Promising to find his "pressure points"? The man couldn't possibly know his "pressure points". Then again, the man could turn into fucking smoke. Who knows what the hell he can do? 

The cab pulled to a stop in front of his mansion, also stopping his thoughts. Thankfully, this cab driver barely paid him mind besides to collect cab fare as he climbed out. 

"Ed!" Oswald yelled as soon as he swung open the door. No response. He walked in, heart pounding, when he found him almost immediately.

Edward was passed out in the living room. He was slumped against the couch's arm with his head resting on his arm. He still wore his glasses though they were resting at an odd angle on his face. Whatever Ed was working on was now abandoned, papers spilt onto his lap and onto the floor. 

Oswald let out a relieved sigh, feeling a bit better. Still, he made his way over to the house phone and dialed, cursing his nervous, shaking hands. The phone rang for an excruciatingly long time before-

"Hello?" Ivy answered. 

"Is everything alright there?" 

"Yeah, why?" Ivy asked. There was a crash. Oswald heard someone shouting. 

"What was that?" Oswald all but screamed into the phone. 

"Oh, that?" Ivy squeaked. "Um, we were trying to clean-" The shouting got louder. He heard Ivy drop the phone. 

There was a few seconds of indecipherable noise. Oswald's heart hammered faster in his chest, imagining the worst. 

"Ok. Ok!" Ivy finally said into the phone. "I got Victor and Bridget to calm down. They're sweeping now." 

"What? Whatever, just listen." Oswald sighed. "Keep an eye out for anyone suspicious and don't go wandering off alone unprotected. It's not safe. Let Victor and Bridget know, too." 

"Ok, why? Is everything ok?" 

"I'll explain later. Just stay safe, please." With that, Oswald hung up. 

Oswald moved back to the living room, relieved that everyone is safe for now. He saw Edward still sleeping and smiled. He gathered up Edward's mess of papers, placing them on a nearby table. On a second thought, he moved to take off Edward's glasses too. 

Edward's hand shot up to grasp his wrist, nearly giving Oswald a heart attack. Edward's eyes slowly opened. His grip relaxed when he saw who was, smiling instead. 

"What're you doing back?" Edward yawned, rubbing his eyes under his glasses. 

"Something came up."

Edward's eyes widened. "Is this about the mess?" 

"No!" Oswald groaned. Edward gestured for him to go on. Oswald struggled to find a way to explain what happened. 

"Oh, wait." Edward thankfully interrupted. He jumped up and ran off. After a minute, he came back with a plate piled with pasta and presented it to him. "I guess that you haven't eaten today, have you?" 

Well, he wasn't wrong. He took the plate and started eating. 

"Is this what you did today?" Oswald asked after swallowing, trying to change topics. 

"Well, I was working on a few projects. I was thinking of bugging our friends at the GCPD." Edward gestured towards his papers before waving dismissively. "Sorry, I got sidetracked. What were you saying? Did something happen at the Iceberg Lounge?" 

And, they were back here. Shit. Oswald shoved more noodles into his mouth to buying more time before answering. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had trouble writing this but I tried lol

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be a one short but I got impatient so here's what I have sorry it's short
> 
> Liked my work? Leave some kudos! Comment what you think! They make my day! ^u^


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